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Sailkarma is a site dedicated to bringing the most amazing images, videos and information from around the world on some of the best sailing events on the planet! With updates around the clock, we are here to serve you and give you what you want to see and hear. So stay tuned…

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A major start line collision knocked two America's Cup Class boats out of action at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today and led to a one-race disqualification for the French ALEPH Sailing Team.

The two boats involved are the BMW Oracle Racing Team Version 5 ACC boats USA98 and USA87 which have been chartered to the regatta organisers for the event. Oracle boatbuilders and technical experts were still assessing the damage tonight.

“While unfortunate, this collision will not threaten the regatta,” said Bruno Troublé, spokesman for Louis Vuitton Trophy. “In Nice, one boat was damaged in a collision on the eve of the regatta, while in Auckland we had great racing with only one pair of boats. We will continue racing using the Mascalzone boats, while waiting for our very experienced team of 25 boatbuilders to complete repairs.”

Today’s conditions were perfect for racing with cloudless skies, bright sun, a westerly 12-14 knot breeze and flat seas, and Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio was able to complete five of six scheduled races.

The ALEPH team quickly published a statement apologising for the collision and subsequent damage.

In a day filled with surprises, the fledgling Synergy Russian Sailing Team beat the long-established Luna Rossa, while the undefeated Swedish boat Artemis continued her winning ways with a victory over winless BMW Oracle Racing Team. Emirates Team New Zealand went down to Luna Rossa as American Ed Baird, skipper of the Italian boat and former coach for the Kiwis, dished out another lesson to his old pupil Dean Barker.

Flight Ten, Race One: Synergy Russian Sailing Team def Luna Rossa, 00:15 – Nice start by both boats. Karol Jablonski claimed the right as both boats came off the line together on starboard. At the weather mark, Jablonski came in on starboard and dialed down to force Baird away and lead by 16 seconds. The Russians controlled for the next three legs.

Flight Ten, Race Two: Artemis def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:16 – The start was owned by Terry Hutchinson driving the Swedish boat Artemis. After chasing James Spithill round the start box, Hutchinson led back for a perfect start, at the committee, with Spithill trailing astern by a boat length. Oracle short-tacked relentlessly through two upwind legs and clung to Artemis on two runs but the Swedish boat prevailed.

Flight Eleven, Race One: TEAMORIGIN def All4One, 00:05 – All4One led to the line with a clean start, followed by TEAMORIGIN on his hip. Ben Ainslie steering the British boat quickly tacked away and Sébastien Col soon followed. At the top mark Ainslie on starboard shut Col out and carry him far above the buoy. Ainslie converted that move to a 150 metre lead which All4One chiselled down to 37 metres on the final run as the breeze freshened.

Flight Eleven, Race Two: Azzurra def ALEPH Sailing Team, 00:00 – The Italian boat won after ALEPH was disqualified following the collision. ALEPH was also assessed a penalty point and may face further sanctions.

The two boats were reaching down the start line with Azzurra leading when Bertrand Pacé, ALEPH’s veteran skipper, attempted to duck under his opponent’s stern in an attempt to control the start of the Italian boat. Azzurra, steered by Francesco Bruni was the right-of-way boat. There was hard contact about four metres from Azzurra’s transom.

On-the-water umpires immediately flew a black flag, disqualifying ALEPH from the race. They also docked her one penalty point. Tonight the jury will meet to consider whether further action is warranted. Azzurra was forced to abandon racing but was credited with a win.

“On our boat we had one guy calling the overlap, Tom Burnham, our non-Italian on board,” said Francesco Bruni, skipper of Azzurra. “He was calling that the boat was ‘blocked’ and yet two seconds later I see his bow coming down. Tom had his head smashed on the navigation roll bar on the back of the boat and he got some blood on his head - but just scratches, I think. We are partially happy about getting a point from today but we can’t enjoy the moment fully.”

Flight Twelve, Race One: Luna Rossa def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:13 – Ed Baird on Luna Rossa claimed the right at the start but it was Dean Barker who started at speed on the left. In shifty conditions Luna Rossa took an early lead in the middle of the course while the Kiwis gained on the left. Baird carried them out beyond the port tack layline to round the top mark a boatlength in front. On the second beat the Kiwis again clawed back ground but Baird came across on starboard before the top mark to lock in the lead for the rest of the race.

It's supped-up sailing _ fast-paced, high-speed, short, sharp and entertaining and it's another new innovation of the International Tornado Association (ITA) for 2010.

The aim of this fresh approach to sailing is to breathe new life into the sport and bring the skills and thrills of Tornado catamaran racing to a wider audience and a new generation of spectators and sailors.

Close action, engrossing battles, slick commentary, short races, legendary skippers and all starting on time. It's sailing as we have never seen it before and tailor-made to be both spectator and media friendly.

Speedsailing events will make their debut at Lindau and Travemunde in Germany this year during the German Tornado Grand Prix 25th to 27th June on Lake Constance and the World Tornado championships on Luebeck Bay from 24th to 28th of July.

"Sailing is a sport where traditionally you start a race and then disappear out of sight for hours at a time," said ITA President Roland Gaebler."That's not the best way to spread the world about our sport."

"We felt there was a real need to change this. To move with the times. To introduce a fresh approach to sailing and to bring it back into the public eye by having all the racing within sight of the land, the racing explained by experts and the event contest by the best sailors in the class.

"We want to demystify sailing and we really feel this is a way of doing it."

A round-robin and knock-out format will be utilized at speedsailing events with races contest by six boats and the short-courses as close as possible to the shore for spectators and the media. A Grand Final format will be used to decide the winner of the events.

In stark contrast to the one-hour plus races many Olympic classes sail, races in speedsailing events will be just 10 minutes in length and will only be delayed by the most extreme conditions as Tornados can race in anything from three knots to 35 knots.

At Lindau the event will be held on June 25th and 26th from 5pm on and at the World Championships the events will be raced in front of a promenade on July 24th and 25th from 5pm.

"We will also have numerous cameras onboard the Tornados and on shore to ensure the best images of the racing are obtained for television," Mr.Gaebler said.

"With the Champions Race Series we have already showed that sailing can be more exciting and media friendly than many believed possible and this series surely helped inspire the Olympic Medal Race which won the IOC Golden Rings Award for the best new Olympic TV coverage.

"This motivates us to continue to try and test new event formats in a bid to spread the word about our sport with the public and the sailing community.

"The International Tornado Association wants to be seen as a driving force behind sailing growing in popularity as it bids to regain acceptance onto the Olympic program for the 2016 Olympics."

For more information regarding marketing opportunities, sponsorship and upcoming events please look at the website www.speedsailing.org or contact:

Monday, May 24, 2010

A beautiful sunny day with thermal breeze crowned Value Team winner of the second leg of the Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series at La Marina di Scarlino, in Maremma Tuscany. Notaro Team finishes in second place and Hulk in third. The youngest helmsman on the course Morgan Kiss (Malatawa Bay YC) just 17 with her brother Mitchell, 15, calling tactics.

Maremma Tuscany, May 24th, 2010 - The second leg of the Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series wrapped up at La Marina di Scarlino on Sunday with 30 teams from Italy, Germany and the USA facing off in the pristine waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Value Team, owner Benedetto Giallongo with Francesco Scarselli at the helm and tactician Enrico Fonda dominated the regatta with three 1st , one 2nd and one 4th place (discarded). Second place for Notaro Team, owner Luca Domenici with Piero Vigo calling tactics ((12) -4-2-3-3) and third for Hulk, owner Stefano Di Properzio with tactician Lorenzo Bressani on board (4-3 - (12)-6-2).

Two races were sailed on Sunday under bright sunny skies with the typical thermal breeze blowing off the island of Elba, bringing the total to five in two days.

Value Team winner Benedetto Giallongo back on the docks stated: “We are very satisfied with our result and especially with having been able to rebuild a winning team”. Enrico Fonda, tactician on Value Team with a great past in the Olympic class 470, said: “We know the race course in Scarlino very well as e have trained here all winter and raced on these waters countless times. It is definitely one of the best courses around. The level of the fleet has grown a lot and it makes it a great challenge.”

For the first time in Maremma the Kiss family from Lake Michigan USA: dad owner Michael, tactician Mitchell 15 years old and at the helm Morgan just 17.”It 's been really fantastic racing here. The course is beautiful and the conditions are excellent. I started sailing when I was 10 years old and I usually race on 420s. Maremma is beautiful and I can’t wait to see Florence and Rome next week” said Morgan. Tactician Mitchell added: “Well, I stated sailing when I was 8 and I am getting ready to race iin the Laser Radial Worlds this summer in Scotland. It was really fun sailing with my sister!”

The Club Nautico Scarlino’s intense racing season continues with the BMW Match Racing Championship in June.

For the 2010-2012 season the Club Nautico Scarlino has partnered with Sorgenia, a company operating in the field of sustainable energy. Sorgenia is the first private Italian operator in the national energy market, with over 500,000 customers . Sorgenia also operates in the fields of natural gas, photovoltaic and wind-powered energy. www.sorgenia.it

After a tense, epic last twenty four hours of the Normandy Race, 40 Degrees runs out of runway for its attack and is pipped into second place by Destination Dunkerque. A fantastic inaugural race, this event will hopefully become a classic event in the Class 40 calendar.

Sunday morning at 0752 GMT Thomas Ruyant and Tanguy Leglatin crossed the finish line of the very first edition of the Normandy Channel Race. They took victory aboard the Class 40 "Destination Dunkerque" after 6 days, 18 hours and 52 minutes of thrilling, high tension racing (averaging a speed of 5.85 knots). Just 20 minutes later, the Norman Halvard Mabire and his British co-skipper Peter Harding completed the 1,000 mile course through the Channel, the Atlantic and the Celtic Sea. The last night of racing proved to be the most dangerous of all, with a passage around the Raz Blanchard, which ultimately smiled on the Dunkirk boat despite increasing pressure from the Franco-British duo since rounding the Fastnet, who gave their absolute all in the currents offshore of Cherbourg. "40 Degrees", skippered by Mabire and Harding, completed the race within sight of the winner.

Winner of the Grand Prix de Douarnenez a couple of weeks ago aboard "Destination Dunkerque", the young, triumphant skipper from northern France, also won the Transat 6.50 Charente Maritime-Bahia race in Salvador de Bahia in November. As such he has very quickly skimmed through the learning phase of his arrival in the Class of 40 foot monohulls. Teaming up with the Breton sailing coach, Tanguy Leglatin, was clearly a good move; the latter being a trainer, coach and advisor to some of the top sailors in Figaro and Open 60 class, and someone who is well on the way to forging a fine reputation as a producer of champions. By taking such a fine victory in the Normandy Channel Race, Ruyant has certainly pulled out all the stops as regards the goal he set himself to be match-ready for the start of the Route du Rhum this October.

The return towards Normandy from the Fastnet saw the battle for the top spot being fired up again when, after an excellent upwind tacking session through the fog, the Owen Clarke Design "40 Degrees" came right back to within a hairs breadth of the leader.

Naturally the Franco-British duo would have liked the course to be just a tad longer and so it was a slightly disappointed Halvard Mabire that crossed the finish line, after coming so close to victory. However the disappointment was soon digested as he gave a brief rundown of the race on 40 Degrees. "It’s a good result for us. We sailed well without any major mistakes. Our boat isn’t the most optimised of the fleet yet, but she clearly demonstrated how well she performs on every point of sail, and that’s what enabled us to rank so highly. Peter is a charming and very willing travel companion." At ease throughout the course, the race gave the duo the opportunity to ‘revisit’ the most legendary sectors of ocean racing and regatta sailing, including Cowes and the Solent, the Lizard and its famous headland, the Tuskar and Fastnet lighthouses, the Channel Islands and Jobourg. In so doing, Mabire was able to let his experience and his knowledge of the race zone do the talking; a discussion enriched by over 30 years of history. In search of a budget for the Route du Rhum, he’s more than ready to battle it out at the front of a booming Class after this extraordinary Normandy Channel Race, which has proven to be a fantastic way to express his potential on this boat.

Luna Rossa was making their debut in Louis Vuitton Trophy racing with 2007 America’s Cup winner Ed Baird as their new helmsman. Baird won the start against Gavin Brady steering Mascalzone Latino and controlled the first three legs.

Closing the weather mark for the second time Brady got out of phase in a series of short tacks and pulled up right astern of Luna Rossa to round just seven seconds behind. The leaders made a conventional bear-away gennaker set while Mascalzone went for a delayed gybe set that led to over 500 metres of separation and an opportunity to grab the lead.

When Baird eventually gybed to cover, Brady was sailing slightly deeper in better pressure. The tables turned and Brady worked out to a 70-metre lead only to see most of it evaporate when he gybed for the finish and the spinnaker sheet came unclipped.

“The end of the spinnaker was flying out loose and Alan Smith, our bowman, clipped onto a spare halyard and swung out over the water to capture it and clip it on again,” Brady said. “We knew it was going to be close but by then we had overstood and came flying into the mark with plenty of speed.”

In other races:

Flight Four, Race One: All4One def Azzurra, 00:20 – At the first cross it was All4One on starboard with a healthy two-boat lead. Sebastien Col steered the French/German alliance to a 28-second delta at the top mark and controlled the rest of the way.

Flight Four, Race Two: ALEPH Sailing Team def BMW Oracle Racing 00:28 – Bertrand Pacé steering ALEPH sailed a cool-headed tactical race to counter an aggressive attack by America’s Cup winner James Spithill. The French led by seven seconds at the top mark only to have Spithill execute a breathtakingly close inside overtaking move around the bottom mark. Pacé’s protest was green-flagged but Spithill had to tack away to clear his air. The windward mark delta was just six seconds before the French extended to win by six boat lengths.

Flight Five, Race Two: Artemis def TEAMORIGIN, 00:46 – All the drama in this race occurred 1:40 before the gun when the British boat hooked a crab pot or fish trap as they manoeuvered close to spectator boats. “It had two lines on it, one a pretty heavy anchorline,” said Peter Isler, navigator on TEAMORIGIN. “We went head to wind and Craig Satterthwaite jumped in and slashed both ropes with his knife and we were off again. We were early for the line but not that early!”

Inside the basin of the Porto Arsenale, 14-year-old Silvia Acheri won the first of three days raced in O’Pen Bic singlehanded dinghies to qualify finalists for the Louis Vuitton Junior Trophy. Silvia races for the Lega Navale Italiana in Cagliari, Southern Sardina. She won every one of her races.

Live streaming web coverage of the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena is available on the event website, http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com. The official site (in English, French, Italian and Russian) is also rich in team content, as well as features, audio, video and images.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The transformed US Naval Base at La Maddalena is now a beautiful base for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Four America's Cup Class yachts, two from Mascalzone Latino Audi Team and two from BMW Oracle Racing will be used by the ten teams.

Today was the first day of racing. Beautiful blue skies graced the island, but unfortunately so did light winds. Only one flight was completed today.

Mascalzone Latino Audi defeated Italian rival Azzurra while the French team Aleph beat TeamOrigin. The rest of the teams sat around anxiously awaiting their chance to get on the water but the wind did not cooperate.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Rye, N.Y., 16 May 2010 - Congratulations to Alex Jackson on Leenabarca as he, and tactician Rob Greenhalgh with crew of Peter Greenhalgh, Steve Irish, Jesse Fielding, Chris Coulson, David Rasmussen and Jeffery Brantley are 2010 Melges 32 East Coast Champions. In second overall, Phil Lotz on Arethusa had an outstanding day on the water. Kip Meadows on roXanne was third.

After two great days of racing just outside of Milton Harbor, the East Coast Championship concluded with one, five-leg race to decide the title. Gorgeous, sunny skies, warm temperatures and light, shifty, tricky breezes greeted the fleet for the start.

2010 ECC Champion Jackson blasted off the line, shooting out in front of the fleet almost instantly. At the other end of the line was Michael Dominguez on Bronco tacking out to the right alongside of Malcolm Gefter’s Celeritas. Dominguez worked the right, then the middle, putting his Melges 32 in second, right behind Gefter rounding the weathermark in first. Dominguez and Lotz were quick to challenge for the lead, but it was Bronco who got ahead, holding their own staying mainly left for pressure. Bob Hughes on Heartbreaker and Meadows followed. Lotz looked a little too much to the right for breeze, shuffling him back to round fifth behind Jason Carroll’s Argo in fourth. On the second to last upwind leg, Lotz took a right side lane that carried him ahead, paving the way for a massive lead at the windward mark. Dominguez, Hughes and Meadows were a little hung out to dry as Jackson’s Leenabarca got back in the hunt right behind Lotz for second. Dominguez rounded third. With a substantial lead, Lotz passed through the final leeward gate several boat lengths ahead. Jackson followed, then Rod Jabin on Ramrod, and Dominguez. Lotz continued on with his big lead for the finish-to-windward win. Right behind, a great battle for second took place between Jackson and Jabin. Jackson took second by a hair, Jabin was third.

An awards ceremony was held immediately following at American Yacht Club where the top three teams were given trophies.

The International Melges 32 Class would like to thank all the teams that participated and the incredible hospitality of the American Yacht Club. The parties, dinner and fair was phenomenal.

A very special thank you to Ed Tillinghast, whose dedication and passion for the Melges 32 is evident. Especially, we thank Ed for welcoming the fleet into his home club, the American Yacht Club, and further encouraging the growth of the Melges 32 class.

On a side note: Kip Meadows wishes to thank all of the sponsors of his Perrier, Dupont, Moet & Chandron, Ford, North Sails, Southern Spars, Brooks Brothers, National Guard roXanne Melges 32.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Race Day 4 - Not a fun day for Artemis but we managed to hold onto third place.

We had a decent race in the first one with a 6th but lost both Quantum and All4One on the final run to the finish. All4One was just 0.5 ahead of us in second place going into today. The Portugese on Bigimist won the first race with Team New Zealand in 2nd.

At the start of the second race we were too close to windward of TeamOrigin, in big waves and 20 knots of wind. We got slow and the bow blew off and our sprit hit TeamOrigin and broke. So we had to make a penalty turn and we had no sprit for the downwind legs.

We were well into last when the dust settled after the start and I thought about just retiring to save the wear and tear on the sails. But that would have cost us one point as the difference between a last and a DNF (Did Not Finish). Then Bribon had a problem with their gennaker too and went down the last run without a kite. We were able to set ours, tacked to the bow, and we managed to pass them and gain another point.

Quantum sailed well to win easily and Team New Zealand got another second showing a lot of consistency.

Team New Zealand won easily and All4One sailed well to get second. Behind Artemis in third, things were tight with TeamOrigin and Quantum tied for fourth just 1.5 points behind us.

Cascais proved to be a fantastic place to race and a beautiful city to boot. I am sure we will be back to race here next year.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Photo by Leighton O'ConnorWith the economy in the toilet boat yards are coming up with new ways to market their business... Get a bottom job on your boat and they will throw in an oil change for your car!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Cam Lewis, multiple circumnavigator, world champion dingy sailor and America’s Cup veteran joins SpeedDream team as skipper Cam Lewis is one of the world’s renowned yachtsmen whose achievements range from twin Finn Gold Cups and 505 World Championships to Big Boat racing and offshore multihull record setting. He was a key crewmember on board Dennis Connor’s victorious Stars and Stripes catamaran when they decidedly beat the 90 ft super-monohull from New Zealand during the 1988 America’sCup. Cam was the only American aboard the Commodore Explorer, the catamaran that in 1993 broke the mythical 80-day around-the-world record to become the first holder of the coveted Trophée Jules Verne.

In The Race, the ultimate around-the-world sailing competition among unrestricted multihulls that took place in 2000, Cam Lewis’ 110 ft catamaran Team Adventure was arguably the fastest boat in the fleet and only serious damages pushed his team into third place. Cam Lewis is often considered a multihull sailor because his most spectacular victories happened aboard catamarans, but his talent is for makingany boat go fast.

“My mantra in life is to sail fast boats fast, in any waters, as often as possible,” Cam said. “As it happened multihulls have for decades dominated high performance ocean sailing but when I was first introduced to the SpeedDream project I instantly saw the huge potential of its design concept. For me, the SpeedDream challenge isnot only an attempt to prove that monohulls can compete on an even keel with multihulls. It is rather an alternative way of sailing faster, of pushing the boundaries of performance ever higher. Reaching 40 knots on a catamaran in the middle of the ocean was an intense and unforgettable experience. To sail at 40+ knots on a monohull would be absolutely awesome. I simply cannot miss the chance to take part in this extraordinary adventure.”

Cam Lewis will play an active role in helping develop the practical aspects of SpeedDream working the designers and engineers to create an on-deck and below-deck environment that is safe and practical for the crew in all conditions.

“The SpeedDream project is all about speed, innovation and going places as fast as possible and doing it in the most efficient way, with minimal impact on the environment. I am thrilled to be named the captain of SpeedDream and will do all I can to help Vlad Murnikov and his team to fulfill this fantastic dream.”

The SpeedDream Team believes that Cam Lewis’s racing skills, his abilities as team organizer and leader, his business expertise in putting together various successful projects as well as his talent in handling media and publicity will greatly benefit our venture and bring it eventually to a success.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

May 12, 2010 - If all goes well we should be at the dock this evening at the Newport Shipyard about 1900 pm local time- not a moment too soon because it is bloody cold out here.

The trip has been eventful, and not exactly wonderful, blue water sailing. I can say that the sea state since we went past Madera has been simply awful. Head on no matter where we were going or what the wind was doing, and the breeze managed to be forward of the beam about 80% of the time.

With that said, it has been a great trip as well. Good team building time for our new group. An eye opening trip for brother Brad Read and sail designer Steve Calder, who are crossing the Atlantic for the first time. Despite having the “what the hell am I doing here” look on their faces from time to time, both have been fantastic helpers and great part of the team. And I think they are both already starting to forget the bad times and only remember the good, although they are certainly not forgetting the cold right now. Did mention it is cold?

One certain way to know it is cold is if you look in the bunks and the sleeping bags are zipped to the top and just a small parts of each person’s head is poking out. That is where we are at right now. In fact, navigator Tom Addis was so tucked into his sleeping bag I actually gave the bunk a shake to make sure he was in it- to make sure he was still on board.

Now it is back to work tomorrow breaking down the boat, debriefing the crossing and trying to continue to learn from the past, leaning toward the future. Next up for il mostro is the New York Yacht Club Spring Regatta and the Newport-Bermuda Race. Neither will be competitive for us because there are no other Volvo 70’s and we have to race with handicap rules against all the other boats who are optimized for handicap style racing, but we will stay in the VOR rule configuration and try to continue to look to the future and what the ultimate goal is.

So finally il mostro is coming home, back to where it all started. She has sailed nearly 55,000 miles since we left Newport after a summer of training in August of 2008- seems like a thousand years ago. I was pretty emotional that day we left Newport as I knew the adventure of a lifetime was just beginning and I really didn’t know where that adventure was going to take us. Turns out it was the adventure of a lifetime. But I would have never said that there would be a sequel to that first act. PUMA Ocean Racing Part Two begins with il mostro coming home. Not as a ending but as a new beginning.

So its bye for now, and great to be back reporting on the trials and tribulations of il mostro. See you in Newport.

May 12, 2010 - Newport, RI- It was a cold and rainy start to the first day of racing at the New York YC Women's Match Race Clinic and Regatta. Despite the weather, we had a great day on the water and finished the day 7-1. Handing us our loss for the day, and tight on our transom with results, are our USSTAG teammates, Genny Tulloch and team at 6-2.

Team Tunnicliffe (Debbie, Liz, Molly, Anna) Working The Shifts And Current Photo: (c) Dave Johnson, USSTAG, May 2010

We completed a full round robin and the first race of the second round. We had challenging conditions, with a shifty wind that was slowly swinging left all day. On top of that, we had current flowing one way to start the day and then it switched half way through as the tide changed. However, in spite of these conditions, the team did a great job of positioning us in the best places to take advantage of the shifts. We had some great pre-starts, and some close races. We learned some good lessons, and are looking forward to racing tomorrow.

We came immediately from Calpe, Spain to Newport on Sunday and started the clinic part of this event at 8am the next morning. Our flights back from Spain to the USA were again affected by the volcano. Each of our flights were delayed from 2-4 hours. We were re-routed so that instead of flying the usual 8 hour route across the Atlantic, we had to fly north through France and England, and then further north to go around the volcano. As a result, we missed our connections when we landed in the USA and it all made for a very long day. However, we were happy that we made it as there had been a rumor going around the airport that our flight was cancelled.
We have had two days of clinic which were of great assistance in getting us used to the boats again and for practicing specific parts of a race on which we wanted to work. We had great coaches, both Dave Perry, Dave Dellenbaugh, and Henry Menin, along with Tony Rey and Colin Gordon. They all taught us a great deal, and at the same time we were learning important information about this venue; the venue of this year's Women's Match Racing World Championships.
Tomorrow, the plan is to finish the second round robin and start the semi-finals. Unfortunately there are no results posted on the regatta website.
We would like to thank our sponsors Carmeuse and Trinity Yachts for their continued support of our campaign for the 2012 Olympics in London. We would also like to thank USSTAG for their continued support.
Sail Hard,
Anna - Team Tunnicliffe

Cascais, Portugal - Race Day 1 - Three races were held today and the competition was extremely tight. In fact, just three points separate the top 6 boats at the end of the first day. Emirates Team New Zealand, last season's winner, scored both a first place and a last place in today's racing.

Onboard Artemis we had a good day. We had three good starts and were always in a good lane coming off the line. We scored a nice third place to start things off, then in the second race tore our gennaker at the first mark and were well clear in last place by the time we got the replacement sail up. Still, we managed to claw our way back to 6th. Then in the last race, we got a bit too far to the left of the fleet on the first windward leg and were deep in the pack. We did manage to pass a few boats on the final run to finish 7th.

The racing was always tight with lots of action around the marks. No one dominated the day, neither on speed or tactics. Likewise, the closeness in the scores.

Another feature today was that the left side was pretty good at times, so that kept the race course more open than usual. The winds were 12-16 knots from the Northwest with oscillations of 20 degrees. Very fun conditions in these boats.

Tomorrow, the forecast is for a bit more wind and the race committee will probably shoot for three races again.
I took some photos of the fleet at the dock this morning. The race village here is the best on the circuit.

Preparations and planning come to an end today as the first races of the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit's TP52 series are scheduled to get under way off Cascais at the Portugal Trophy.
Winds are forecast to be moderate, between 8-12 knots from the North West, when the 11 boat fleet get under starter's orders at 1300hrs local time. Yesterday's practice race proved the race area will be a challenge for tacticians with big changes in wind direction and pressure over the arena.

British TP52 Cristabella, owned by John Cook (GBR) and steered by Tim Powell (GBR) won yesterday's practice race, just ahead of the 2009 defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL).

The 2008 TP52 champion Artemis (SWE) is expected to have owner-helmsman Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) absent for the first few days of this regatta, and so Paul Cayard (USA), who usually serves as tactician will steer with Cameron Appleton (NZL) as tactician.

The GP42 Series have their practice race with five boats competing. They will be offered two practice starts and then their official practice race will get under way.

"The course is fairly close to the shore. Depending on the wind direction it can be shifty in direction, and with the breeze a little more in the north today it is likely to be even more shifty, especially as you approach the windward mark. But also, flatter water. So today will mainly be about using the shifts, the bigger ones rather than the smaller ones.
And, not necessarily banging the right hand corner because then you tend to run out of wind pressure." Explains Jim Saltonstall (GBR) coach to the Cristabella team.

All of the live action images and supporting comment and information from the race course is broadcast on http://www.medcup.org/

Rye, N.Y., 11 May 2010 - The spring Melges 32 racing season officially shifts into gear this weekend at the American Yacht Club (AYC) in Rye, N.Y. for the fifth of nine USA Sailing Series events — the East Coast Championship (ECC). Thirteen high-quality teams have assembled to race, almost doubling the attendance from 2009.

Red hot and favored to do well, 2009 Melges 32 World Champion Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem with tactician Jeremy Wilmot will be in attendance. Taselaar fled back to the US sailing scene last March, at the Miami Grand Prix, looking competitively sharp as ever. He’s fresh off of the 2010 Audi Sailing Series Scarlino event, where he declared victory over 17 entries. 2009 Gold Cup Champion Rod Jabin on Ramrod is well-armed with reigning Melges 24 World Champion Chris Larson on tactics. Alex Jackson’s Leenabarca will be one to watch. Recently appointed Helmsman & Trimmer for Puma Racing’s 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean campaign, Rob Greenhalgh will serve as tactician. International Melges 32 Class President Jeff Ecklund on STAR will also attend with Jeff Madrigali on tactics. With each event, Ecklund is always looking for inventive and creative ways to diversify his team. Local AYC junior sailor, thirteen year-old Walter Florio will be an official member aboard STAR. Florio could very well be considered Ecklund’s lucky charm, as he was the junior aboard 2009 ECC Champion Jim Swartz’s Take A Junior Sailing Day crew.

The success of the Melges 32 in the Northeast is apparent and momentum continues to build. Eight of the 13 entries call this region home, including Jason Carroll on Argo, Ed Tillinghast on Dark n’ Stormy and Geoff Pierini on Shakedown. Teams from Newport, R.I. will be out in full force, such as Malcolm Gefter on Celeritas, Michael Dominguez on Bronco and Phil Lotz on Arethusa.

A full schedule of on- and off-the-water activities are planned for the event. Registration and weigh-in happens on Thursday, May 13. The first day of racing takes place on Friday, May 14, with an incredible Bliksem after-racing party planned at AYC between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 15 will be big as the 2010 ECC carries on Melges 32 tradition with Take A Junior Sailing Day. This very special opportunity allows AYC youth and junior sailors to get a real taste of what high performance, one design racing is like alongside of some of the greatest sailors in the world. Later that evening, an exquisite dinner will be held at American Yacht Club for all competing teams. Sunday will conclude with the final races and an awards ceremony.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Exciting news from the Danish Farr40 scene – some might even say a sweet delight.

12 girls have decided to challenge the men in the field with their launch of Team Maltesers – an all female race crew.

Supported by The Royal Danish Yachtclub and Maltesers, whose chocolate offers almost as sweet a treat as 12 girls on a Farr40, the girls have set out to prove that women can also participate, learn and advance in the challenging class.

With their first regatta in hometown Copenhagen, Denmark on the 9th of May the girls were first over the finishing line and are looking forward to sail against a fleet of 49 all male crews at the Danish Big Boat Challenge 2010 from the 21st – 23rd of May.

The female Farr40 is formed of girls with backgrounds within match race, fleet race, the RNZYS youth training program and dinghy sailing.

“We believe that passion and determination will get you a long way and nobody can tell us it can’t be done – you have to try to know for certain” one of the girls reflects.

It is time for a different approach to sailing in Denmark and Team Maltesers’ main goal is to tell a different story from a world largely dominated by men. Sailing is something shared across age, gender and ambition and that should always be remembered – it differentiates our sport on a worldwide scale. Once a sailor always a sailor!

“The main objective is to learn while also proving that women can be more than in charge of fenders.”

The Farr40 class has so far been known in Denmark for the Danish Crown prince and his involvement both in domestic and international regattas.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Largest ever Finn Europeans declared open
The largest ever Finn Europeans was officially opened Monday evening at the YC Labud in Split, Croatia on the shores of the Adriatic. The opening ceremony was held on Monday evening in front of the club.

After the Croatian flag was raised by the 2009 Laser Radial European Champion, Tina Mihelic, from YC Labud, the President of YC Labud, Mira Boban, welcomed all the sailors and guests to the championship. "On behalf of the club, I would like to welcome everyone to Split and I hope you all have a pleasant stay during the next week. We have a record entry of more than 100 sailors from 28 nations and I would like to thank everyone that has helped put this event together including all the sponsors and the city of Split for their invaluable help."

Regatta Director Karlo Kuret spoke next. "The Finn is such as class that everyone is already focused on the competition itself and are already preparing for the six days ahead and after 11 races we will find out the real quality of what is happening in the class at the moment. The Finn is the oldest Olympic dinghy class and Split has a outstanding tradition and I'm very proud to have so many competitors competing here in Split. I'm sure the organisers will do all they can to ensure the best quality racing possible."
IFA President Balazs Hajdu commented, "It's a pleasure and a great honour for the Finn class to return to Split which is one our bases for major Finn events over the years. Such events and such venues are very important for the Finn class and having a look around I see many bright and athletic sailors here and see that our class in in good shape."
Then the Deputy Mayor of Split, Ms Andelka Viskovic declared the event open.

She said, "It's an honour to welcome you all to Split on behalf of the Mayor and the city of Split. Thank you to the organisers for bringing yet another very important championship to Split."
Earlier in the afternoon a practice race was started, though many boats did their own thing. The conditions were just perfect with 12-15 knots and blue skies and nice waves, though everyone headed in after one lap.
The high entry is evidence of the growing numbers worldwide. Each nation has set quota for places based on its membership levels, so the high entry is the result of growing membership in many of the member nations.
Flight cancellations across Europe on Saturday delayed the arrival of several of the Jury members officiating here. Chairman of the Jury Ralph Roberts and his wife were were stuck in Vienna for 12 hours before being diverted to Zagreb where they had to catch the bus to Split, arriving at 3.00 am. Marianne Middelthon from Norway had a similar delayed journey, taking 30 hours to finally arrive in Split on Monday afternoon. But everyone has now arrived and the racing can start.
Racing starts Tuesday at 12.00 with two races scheduled for each of the next five days before the medal race for the top 10 and the final fleet race for the rest.

You can follow the event on the Finn class event blog, Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube site as well as through the regular press releases.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

On the final day of racing at the Nespresso Cup, the first exclusive regatta for Wally yachts, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ Magic Carpet Squared sailed a great final race to secure the overall Nespresso Cup trophy…

The Nespresso Cup came to a stylish conclusion today in Portofino, Italy. After three days of racing over the 6th to 9th May, the Wally yacht Magic Carpet Squared secured victory to lift the inaugural Nespresso Cup Trophy. The final day produced the best racing of the three-day event. The anticipated duel between Magic Carpet Squared and J One, driven by owner Jean-Charles Decaux, became a reality as the two boats headed out to the racecourse on equal points. The Yacht Club Italiano managed to stage two windward/leeward races in 12-15 knots of breeze and it was the final race that proved to be the decider with the main contenders gunning for the start line as Jean-Charles Decaux explained: “We knew at the starting line that they [Magic Carpet Squared] were starting very, very well and we were a bit over the line, so that is where it was costing us a lot. It was a very aggressive start and I said to the team we have to take maximum risk otherwise we won’t beat them.” After re-rounding the starting mark, the J One crew sailed hard and fast to make up time but it was not quite enough, missing out on victory by less than one minute on corrected time: ““It was very close, in the second race we were less than one minute behind so in a race that was over one and a half hours it was superb. I would like to congratulate Magic Carpet Squared because they did a very good race and they deserved the victory.”

Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones could not have been more delighted with his victory. Surrounded by some of the legends in the sport – the likes of America’s Cup legend Tom Whidden and Volvo Ocean Race navigator Marcel van Triest – their combined skills were put to the test: “They were difficult races because it was windy with quite big seas and that is not really the conditions our boat likes best because it is light and it tends to get knocked off the top of the waves a bit. The last race was even more tense than most people realised for us because on one of these we waves when we crashed, we lost all our instruments so we did most of the last race with no instruments at all. But I’ve got a great crew and someone like Tom Whidden who even remembers how to use a hand compass and doesn’t have to rely entirely on electronic things!” said Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones back on the dockside.

This new premier regatta solely for the Wally Class, brought together some of sailing’s most respected world-class sailors and leading Wally owners, to deliver one of the most aesthetically pleasing sailing regattas on the planet. Together with Wally Yachts, Nespresso created the Ultimate Cup, and the ten Wally yachts competed in a series of races demonstrating their unique blend of style and cutting-edge design. It’s a format that is destined to succeed in the future as the overall winner of the first Nespresso Cup concurred: “Everyone likes winning and I suppose that is true of all yachtsmen but when there is something new and special, and it is the first real regatta just for the Wally Class, obviously the first time someone wins it you will always be there, so we are especially delighted.”

French sailing legend and Nespresso Cup Race Ambassador, Loick Peyron summarised perfectly the spirit of the event: “The 2010 Nespress Cup was fabulous. Each time you see the smiles on the faces of the owners and crews you know it is something special because they all love to be together as they there are a family, and this is where this family was born especially with Luca Bassani which is very symbolic.”

Molly, Liz, Mary, Debbie, Anna (Team Tunnicliffe) At The Awards CeremonyPhoto: (c) J L Studio Photography, May 2010
It was a beautiful day of sailing with a building sea breeze all day. With the building breeze, the wave state built too which made controlling the boat speed upwind quite tricky, but the downwind waves were a lot of fun to surf.

Our day started against Australia's Katie Spithill. We started the semi's yesterday and were tied at 1-1 going into this morning. In the first race, we drew a penalty on her upwind for tacking too close. She led us around the course and tried to draw us in on the final downwind leg, but we managed to hang back enough until we could pass her and win the race.

In the second race, we led around the mark but made a mistake downwind, and she passed us. We couldn't get her back and she went on to tie up the series 2-2. In the final race, we led her off the line, and maintained the lead all around the course to take the win to advance to the finals against France's Claire Leroy. Claire won her semi final match up against Spain's Tamara Echegoyen 3-1.

After Crossing The Finish Line For The WinPhoto: (c) J L Studio Photography, May 2010
In the finals, we were behind in the first race until the last downwind leg, where we managed to pass her and take the first win of the series. In the second race, she led off the line, and went on to win the race. By race three, the wind had picked up quite a bit. We started to the right of her, and held her off on the first upwind. The wind shifted slightly right during the race, and we were able to maintain the lead barely downwind to make the series score 2-1. In the final race, we split from them off the start line, us going right and them going left. We had a two-boat length lead at the top mark and sailed smart to take the series 3-1.

It was a great series, with great racing against all the teams. We learned a lot and really focused on our team work and communication. We owe a huge thanks to Liz Bower and Mary Rook (GBR) for joining us for this event. They both fitted into the team very well and we are very grateful for all of their hard work. We are off to Newport, RI tonight for the NYYC Women's Clinic and Match Race event. Liz will be joining us there too since we will be sailing Sonars. We are very excited to get there and race. We are having a great string of events and our learning curve is huge. We would like to thank everyone for their supportive emails and messages.

We would like to thank Carmeuse and Trinity Yachts for their continued support of our campaign for the 2012 Olympics in London. We would also like to thank USSTAG for their continued support.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

This Thursday in Eric Tabarly's Cité de la Voile and then its base in Lorient, vessel owner Groupama and its team, revealed the reasons behind their commitment to the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, the crewed round the world race with stopovers. It proved to be an excellent opportunity for the European insurance and banking group to display its international ambition and for Franck Cammas and his team to vie with the top Anglo-Saxon crews.

"When we committed ourselves to supporting Franck Cammas back in 1998, he was a young sports entrepreneur, who was just discovering the multihull scene. Twelve years on, he has won virtually all the crewed races and racked up no less than six records, including the legendary Jules Verne Trophy on 20th March 2010. By confirming our commitment to the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, namely until 2015, we are supporting the Group's international development, which makes 30% of its turnover overseas and employs over 11,000 employees outside France. Groupama is today identified as the leading vessel owner in French sailing. With the Volvo Ocean Race, this presence will further develop overseas" analyses Frédérique Granado, Groupama's director of external communications.
To achieve this, Groupama can count on the complete involvement of its team led by Franck Cammas. Today this team is made up of 45 people and within the workforce it is fairly commonplace to hear English spoken or perhaps French with a slightly exotic accent: "The challenge we've committed ourselves to is a sizeable one. Since 1993 and Eric Tabarly, not a single French team has participated in the Volvo Ocean Race. Up against the top crews from New Zealand, America, Spain and Ireland, it's going to be an intense battle. We're just rediscovering the monohull and we still have a lot to learn. However, we're going about it with as much enthusiasm, seriousness and humility as possible. Thanks to Groupama's commitment, we were the first to put our team together. Making up my entourage are Volvo specialists like Damian Foxall, Ben Wright, Luc Gellusseau, Hervé Le Quilliec as well as Killian Bush, who are joining together with various long-term stalwarts of the Groupama Team like Stéphane Guilbaud, Pierre Tissier, Loïc Dorez, Yann Riou and Olivier Mainguy" explains Franck Cammas.

With the purchase of Ericsson 4, winner of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, Groupama Team can boast an excellent platform for training and analysis. Rechristened Groupama 70, the Koujoumdjian design is performing an increasing number of sail trials offshore of Lorient in Brittany, where the Team is based.

When the team aren't out sailing, the various members of the Team are participating in the design of the future boat, it too due to be designed by the Franco-Argentine architect: "Unfortunately we didn't have the time to involve the excellent French architects in the work, as they are also only just discovering the restrictions of the class measurement linked to these 70 foot (21.5 metres long) boats. As such we opted for Juan Koujoumdjian, who is based in Valencia, Spain. However, it's actually in nearby Vannes, at the Multiplast yard, that Groupama 4 will be built. This will represent 40,000 man hours and we know the team well because we built the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 with them" adds Franck.

With work having started in the last few days, the construction will take 10 months till her scheduled launch on 15th March 2011. In the meantime, the Groupama skipper will have also taken part in the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale aboard a Groupama 3 adapted to solo sailing, as well as the Extreme Sailing Series Europe aboard the one design catamaran Groupama 40.

Suffice to say that the schedule for the Groupama skipper is a busy one. However, supported by a committed, long-lasting ship owner and an experienced Team, Franck Cammas has what it takes to succeed in his ambitions. - Find all the latest about the Groupama trimarans on: http://www.cammas-groupama.com/

The oldest trophy in international sport: re-energised by unprecedented collaboration between the Defender and the Challengers

• New, fair rules and independent professional management will give an equal opportunity to all teams
• A new class of fast, exciting boats created in conjunction with all teams
• The 159 year old competition made irresistible to commercial partners with regular racing in multiple venues under professional, neutral race management
• Transformed television and online coverage will place race fans right at the heart of the action, wherever they are in the world. This was the message today at the first press conference of the 34th America’s Cup, which saw the trophy brought to the home city of the Challenger of Record, the Club Nautico di Roma.

Speaking in the Sala Exedra in Rome’s Musei Capitolini, surrounded by some of Rome’s most precious treasures, Russell Coutts representing the defending Golden Gate Yacht Club and Vincenzo Onorato on behalf of the Challenger of Record, mapped out the future of the America’s Cup.

The press conference webcast was streamed live around the world. Discussion & debate; consultation & collaboration “Diktat has been replaced by discussion, confrontation by consultation,” said Coutts, four time winner of the iconic competition. “Our minds and our ears are open. We are receptive to ideas.” The opportunity to shape the rules and the design of the new boat has been offered to potential teams.

The management of the on-the-water racing will be controlled by an independent, neutral and professional authority, not the Defender.New Protocol rules

Yesterday teams received the Protocol used in the 32nd America’s Cup and were asked: “What would you change to make the competition better?” This document was negotiated by the Golden Gate Yacht Club and produced the successful 2007 America’s Cup. Feedback from the teams will be used to shape a new

Protocol for the 34th Match.

The wide-ranging reforms would not have been possible without close co-operation with the other teams – who will be the Defender’s rivals when racing gets underway. In particular Coutts noted the unprecedented collaboration between the Challenger of Record and Defender: “The task would have been impossible without working in partnership with Vincenzo Onorato.” Onorato was given the honour of revealing the key decision date targets on behalf of the entire America’s Cup community.

Key dates announced

• Protocol for the 34th America’s Cup will be issued by 31st August
• Design rule released by 30th September
• Notice of Race & Sailing Instructions published by 31st December
• Venue confirmed by 31st December
• Challenge Period open from 1st October – 31st January 2011

New thinking on television

A bow-to-stern re-think of the entire television and media output is already underway. Not only will fans be able to turn-on and tune-in, anytime, on any platform, but they will be made to feel as if they are on-board themselves, right at the heart of the action, alongside the best sailors in the world.

New boat- faster sailing & thrilling racing

The new design rule will be a critical element of building a spectacular event. Renowned but neutral designers - Bruce Nelson and Peter Melvin - have created two different concepts – a multihull and a monohull.

Teams will sit down this month and discuss which concept to adopt and begin the process to create a design rule. The requirements of the new America’s Cup Class rule are:

• It should produce dynamic and close racing
• It should use advanced, efficient and cost-effective technologies
• It should be distinctive and epitomize the pinnacle of the sport
• It should be able to race in any venue in winds from 5-35 knots

The ability to race in all venues and in most wind strengths is vital to make race scheduling reliable for fans and broadcasters. “Delays kill interest. Even the hard-core fan doesn’t like having to wait for enough wind to race,” said Coutts.

Venue and Year-host cities evaluated

2013 and 2014 were named as the most likely dates for the next Cup.
Sufficient time is needed to evaluate venues and create impressive, efficient infrastructure for the Cup Village. Coutts confirmed that American sites were not the only ones under consideration. But he noted: “Every candidate city knows that a very strong case has already been put forward by San Francisco.” Cities in the USA and Europe are under consideration. Highly experienced specialists have been engaged to manage the evaluation process.

Regular racing in multiple locations

Host cities are also being sought for a series of regular racing for Cup teams. This racing will be integrated into the America’s Cup, in a plan developed in conjunction with the World

Sailing Teams Association.

Changes welcomed by Cup community Paul Cayard, six-time America’s Cup competitor and representing not just Sweden’s Team Artemis but the World Sailing Teams Association, commented on the reform package: “We believe that the WSTA and its Louis Vuitton Trophy events are exactly the type of activity that needs to be incorporated into the big picture of the America’s Cup. “With its global venues in important markets, regular calendar of events, tight racing in America’s Cup class boats, equal representation for each team, these events represent great commercial value that the teams can pass along to their sponsors.”

Challenger trials for the challengers & litigation ended

Coutts confirmed that the Defender will not participate in the Challenger trials as the previous Defender had done. And that all litigation from the contentious 33rd America’s Cup was over because of a settlement signed last month with the Swiss. “That episode is history. Our focus is the future,” Coutts said.

We won all of our pre-starts today, but one silly mistake per race cost us a lot. The disappointing part of the day was that they were big mistakes, but we learned from them, and hopefully will take the lessons learned forward. We had good races though, and we are learning the boats. There is quite a bit of difference between the Elliots we usually race and these boats, which made us a bit nervous in the beginning. But, now we are quite comfortable in controlling them and can focus our attention on the tactics of sailing. The team did a great job, and by the end of sailing today, had figured out the communication, the boat handling and the speed of the boat.

And There She Goes (A Lot More Rope Than The Elliot 6m)Photo:(c) Real Club Nautico Calpe's Photostream, May 2010

All of our competitors are up and down in the results. The results are not currently posted so I'm not sure how everyone did, but tomorrow will be a big day for results to see who will advance to the quarter finals and who will not. You can check the results here on the regatta website. (The results are up now. Click on the regatta link, then click on Temporary Results ..., and open the pdf file.)

The forecast for tomorrow is for slightly less breeze than today's 8-11kts, but the sun is expected to be out which will make for warmer conditions hopefully.

We would like to thank our sponosors Carmeuse and Trinity Yachts for their continued support of our campaign for the 2012 Olympics in London. We would also like to thank USSTAG for their support.
Sail Hard, Anna
Team Tunnicliffe

The CMRC is pleased to host Britain's first ever ISAF World Match Racing Champion, as he arrives this week to train with our Sailing Director, Bill Hardesty. The two will train against each other from May 6th through May 9th, in preparation for Match Race Germany, where they will compete together. Williams is excited that the CMRC is already up and running for the season, and looks forward to clearing out the cobwebs before his Match Racing season begins.

Select CMRC members will have the opportunity to sail with Ian, but all members are invited to an informal Q&A session following our Friday evening session on May 7th. Ian will stick around to answer member questions about his experience, his WMRT title and more.

Q&A With Ian Williams

May 7th ~7:30pm

Belmont Harbor
CMRC Houseboat
If you are not attending the training session, but would like to attend the Q&A, please email beth@chicagomatchrace.com.

The world's best women match racers are in Calpe, Spain, for the XII International Women Match Race Criterium

Calpe, May 5th , 2010 - Organized by the Real Club Nautico Calpe from 4 to 8 May, the XII International Women's Match Race Criterium gathers in the charming Spanish village the best specialist worldwide, occupying the top spots of the ISAF ranking list.

On the first day the eleven crew were welcomed at the Club's premises for the final registration and the sailors' weighing. Difficult weather conditions, heavy rain and cold temperature, characterized the preliminary training sessions during which the crews had nonetheless the chance to get to know better the Tom 28 boats that will be used for the racing.

The Opening ceremony was held at the Salón Belliure of Real Club Náutico Calpe at the presence of local authorities and skippers, including last years' winner Claire Leroy.

Reaching the twelfth edition, the Criterium Internacional is an ISAF Grade 1 event and proves to be one of the season's unmissable match-racing events, as confirmed by the presence of a top level lineup:

An innovative regatta format has been developed that will allow all teams the greatest opportunity to advance to the next step, while rewarding teams who do well with second chances.

Initially, each team will sail every other team once in a single round robin. The top eight teams will advance to the next stage and the round robin seeding will continue to be used in later stages. Doing well in the round robin will have its rewards.

“Having each of the teams sail each other at least once is very important,” said Peter ‘Luigi’ Reggio, the Principal Race Officer for the regatta. “The teams really want this opportunity.”

In the middle elimination rounds, top-ranked teams are matched against the lower ranked teams – that’s one of the rewards for doing well early – and the winning teams keep advancing, through to a semi final and final.

“If a top seed loses in the middle rounds, they’ll get a second chance to earn a way back in. Conversely, if a lower ranked team gets hot and starts winning, they’ll keep racing. It’s an interesting and fair format.”

The teams will race on four equalised America’s Cup Class boats supplied by the event – ITA 90, ITA 99, USA 87 and USA 98. The boats have now arrived on site and will be prepared for racing.

The logistics team is also now working in La Maddalena as the event organisers begin preparations to host the 10 teams, their friends, families, partners and sponsors, as well as sailing fans from around the world.

La Maddalena is small town (population near 12 000) on an island with the same name that sits just one nautical mile off the Northeast coast of Sardinia and offers up some of the most stunning backdrops for sailing in the Mediterranean.

The race village will be set up about one kilometre to the east of the centre of town, near the southeast corner of the island.

Monday, May 3, 2010

photos by Bob BetancourtPress for the 2010 Yachting Cup by Lynn Fitzpatrick

Chuck Nichols' J/120 CC Rider Wins SDYC's Yachting Cup

May 2, 2010 (San Diego, CA) – Nearly 100 keelboats and over 700 sailors participated in San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup this weekend. The winner of the Yachting Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the most competitive fleet, went to Chuck Nichols and his J/120 team on CC Rider. Said Nichols, "It was a difficult weekend because we rarely have a southerly on sunny days and we had it both days. The only way to win is with outstanding crew work and that’s what we have."

The Melges 24's sailed an eight-race, no discard series over three days and Brian Porter, Vince Brun and Bri and Clifford Porter were the first boat to return to SDYC in the Southwesterly. Their string of bullets and one 3rd place finish gave them enough of a margin not to have to sail the final race of the series.

Low point for the regatta went to Hot Rum in the PHRF 4 Division. The CF33 partnership of Al Castillon, Richard Parlette and Brian Folkman that has been sailing together for over 20 years, posted five bullets and finished the regatta with a perfect score of 5 points. Said Folkman, "We had ideal conditions this weekend. It was nice to sail against other heavy displacement boats and have such close racing."

Racing in the seven one-design fleets and one IRC-rated TP52 fleet was so close that it was commonplace to have overlapped boats cross the finish line throughout the weekend in which sailors experienced the Catalina eddy. Cold air coming down from the north deflects north of LA and hooks back into the San Diego area as a southerly. It wasn't until well into Sunday’s racing that the wind started to shift right as a light haze burned off. Said Jim Dorsey of the J/105 Wings, "It was a chamber of commerce weekend."

The big boats on the West Ocean Course off of Point Loma and the J/120's, Melges 24's, J/105's and the PHRF 3's competitors on the Roads course off of Coronado experienced an 10-12 knot SSW, a large swell, sunshine, temperatures in the low 60’s throughout the weekend. Even rail meat had an important job this weekend – spotting kelp.

Schock 35's, J/80's and the smaller PHRF boats sailed in the flat waters of the South Bay. Said longtime J/80 fleet champion Curt Johnson, who steered his J/80 Avet to a very close regatta victory; "We had excellent conditions on the South Bay. Yesterday (Saturday) it was all left and today (Sunday) it kept going right. I like the waves outside, but my crew loves the flat water. We had really close racing among the top three boats," he emphasized, "within inches."

The West Ocean Course

Chuck Sinks stepped in as helmsman for Jim Madden on SRM and started the regatta with two bullets. SRM has dazzling speed. Says Sinks, "It's a phenomenal boat, and its great to have other TP52's here from out of town." SRM was the winner in the TP52 Class, however Andy Rasdal's team on Valkyrie was happy with their performance, "we were a close second" said one of the crew.

Dennis Pennell's R/P 50, Blue Blazes and Edward McDowell’s Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion traded first place finishes throughout the weekend in the PHRF 1 Division. GI won the final race, but Blue Blazes slipped in a second, which was enough for Blue Blazes to win the regatta by a point. Read more...

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The second leg of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series wrapped up at La Marina di Scarlino on Sunday. B. Lin’s early start in race eight ensured the victory of Bliksem (USA), the current World Champion.

Marina di Scarlino, Maremma, May 2nd 2010 –Everyone was expecting a showdown between Bliksem and B. Lin to decide the winner of the second leg of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series at Marina di Scarlino. After 7 races both teams had the same number of points and in race 8 the winner would have taken all. Instead, B. Lin helmed by Luca Lalli (with tactician Lorenzo Bressani on board) called over the starting line early, thereby immediately deciding the outcome of the race.

American Bliksem, helmed by Pietar Taselaar with Jeremy Wilmot calling tactics, went on to win race eight and the second leg of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series. A bad day for B. Lin, author of an excellent three days, however, that had been leading at the beginning of the last downward leg in race seven, losing two precious and decisive positions on the finishing line.

Two races were held on Sunday with a 10-12 knot southeasterly breeze, rain, and a passing-through squall with winds reaching 25 knots in the last race. Race 7 was won by Pilot Italy owner Francesco Martino (Vasco Vascotto tactician), Race 8 by Bliksem